Feed grinder



March 11, 1930. H. E. LUEBBERS FEED GRINDER Filed Nov. 10, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I (1mg Patented Mar. 11, 1930 HERMAN E. LUEBIBERS, F OSMOND, NEBRASKA FEED GRINDER Application filed lNovember 10, 1328. Serial No. 318,547.

' This invention relates to a grinder particularly designed and adapted for grinding feed such as is used for poultry, stock, etc., such I as corn, oats, other grains and alfalfa.

The general object of the invention is to provide a machine of this character which is very simple, which has but few parts, which has been found particularly effective in operation, and which may be readily taken apart for removal or replacement of the separate elements.

A further object of the invention is to provide a grinding machine of the character stated which grinds on the centrifugal principle, receiving the grain or material tobe ground at the center of the drum within which the grinder is housed, the drum containing'a rotatable grinder having rotatable arms formed for grinding coaction with the ends of the drum and there being a screen surrounding the grinder and spaced from the periphery of the drum through which the material after being ground or broken up is forced by the blower action of the grinding arms, and in this connection to provide a grinding mechanism of this character wherein the material being ground is forced outward and againstthe screen by centrifugal force and forced out of the housing or drum by the air pressure generated by the revolving beater or grinding arms, no auxiliary fan or other device being necessary to expel the ground materials;

Another object is to provide a grinding mechanism of this character which has only one grinding zone and in which no action is. set up counter to the action of natural forces, the material being ground finer and finer as it passes toward the periphery'of i the grinding mechanism under the action of centrifugal force.

Other objects have to do with the details of construction and arrangements of parts as will appear more fully hereinafter.

My invention is. illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section through the feed grinding machine con structed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a face view of the outer plate and'grinding annulus;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of the feed rinding machine.

Referring to these drawings, 10 designates the periphery of a drum preferably formed of metal enclosed by the metallic end plates 11 and 12. The drum is formed of sheet metal and carries at one end the circular iron 13.

The end plate 11 is preferably formed as part of a base 14 and the periphery of the drum is formed with a flange 15 preferably shrunk upon the periphery of the drum and bolted, riveted or otherwise attached to the end plate 11. Thus the drum is stationary at the end plate. The opposite end plate 12 isbolted to the flange 15 so it is removable and this end plate 12 is formed with a central feed opening 16 concentric to the axial center of the drum. Mounted on suitable bearings upon the base 17 is a shaft 18 which passes in through the wall 11 of the drum at the center thereof. This shaft at its outer end is mounted in a bearing 19 preferably a ball hearing or other anti-friction bearing and may be provided with any means whereby the shaft may be driven as for instance the pulley 20.

The inner end of the shaft carries upon it a heater or'grinder. This consists of a hub 21 carrying upon it a plurality of radially disposed arms 22. As illustrated, one series of arms is disposed adjacent the back plate 11, a second series of arms is at the extreme outer end of the drum, and a third series ofarms is disposed intermediate the first and second series of arms. Each of these arms extends radially outward and adjacent their ends the arms are formed with the transversely extending pins 23 which extend entirely through the arms and project on opposite sides thereof. These pins will preferably' be composed of screw plugs fiveeighths of an inch in length or having any other suitable length and any other desired diameter. Thus the screw plugs may be readily removed. I do not wish to be limited to this, however, as pins passing transversely through the'arms may be used. The screw plugs or pins are sharpened at their ends.

As illustrated in Figure 3, the inner series ofarms is disposed in a plane parallel to the plane of the back plate 11. The outer series of arms, however, are deflected laterally mto a position adjacent to and parallel with the plane of the plate 12. The middle series of arms are preferably disposed all in one plane though it is obvious that this middle series of arms might be disposed in two difieren't planes. Each of the arms carries upon'the extremity a shoe file-riveted to the arms. These shoes in one actual embodiment of my machine are six inches long and two inches Wide and the shoes aretoothed as at 25.

In one embodiment of my invention, the beater or grinder formed. with the hub 21 and the arms 22 is twenty-five and one-half inches in diameter and eleven inches wide, these dimensions merely being given to indicate the proportions of the parts as obviously they may be varied in many ways without departing from the spirit of the in vention. The hub 21 under the last named circumstances has a diameter of approximately eight inches and is approximately six inches long axially. I

Surrounding the grinder is a screen 26 of perforated metal having perforations of a relatively small size, the diameter of the lVhenthe frontplate 1 2 is removed, it is ob vious that the screen may be removed. The screen is in spaced relation to the exterior-of the drum and in slightly spaced relation to the extremities of the arms.

Mounted upon the inside-face of the plate 12 is a crushing plate 28 which is annular in form to provide a central opening coincident with the opening 16 in the plate 12, this crush- 7 ing plate being provided withtwo concentric ward and discharge into a wagon, bag or the series of staggered inwardly projecting grinding or crushing studs 29. Thestuds 23 on theouter series of arms are so disposedas to operate on each side of the studs shown in Figure 1. Thecinner wall 11 may also be provided with inwardly projecting studs 29 if desired, these studs coacting with the studs on the adjacent face of the adjacent v series of beater arms.

' V The drum is provided in its periphery with an opening 30 through which the meal is discharged. This opening 30 may communicate with an elevator 31 of any suitable character wherebythe ground meal may be Carried uplike.

The grain entering at the center of the drum and within the annular screen is finely comminuted by the impact ofthe arms and studs sary to expel the ground material.

against the shoes 25, these shoes being wider at their outer ends than at their inner ends. 1

The grinder preferably rotates at from fifteen hundred to two thousand five hundred R. P. M. and thus exerts a centrifugal force on the incoming grain and as the grain enters 'the grinder, theseshoes 25 catch the grain and by centrifugal. force rip and tear the grain all the way out to the end of the' chute.

By the'centri'fugal force, the grain is drivenf' to the extreme end of the shoe and when this grain has reached this point, it is almost fine enough to pass through this screen. *Theair pressure causedby the very rapidly revolving grinder with. 1ts arms acts to force the pulverized meal outthrough the meshes of i the screen and out through the opening'30 to the elevator.

" Of course, the screens are tobe interchangeable so that a coarse. screen, fine screen partially ground grain is retained within the screen until it has been pulverizedto a finen s,

screeng Y I It will be seen that this machine grinds on the centrifugal principle and breaking the V p l grain up finer and finer as the grain passes toward the periphery of the housing and against the screen or through it. After the it is forced out of the housing: by airpressure such that, may: pass throughthe' which-is setup by therevolying beater arms, no auxlliary'fan or other device being neces- The teeth,lugs, orstuds 29 on the rear .to be spaced closer together or further apart according to the fineness and class of-material to beground. The capacity of this machine is very great and injactual practice has been found to be extremely successful.

7 While Ihave illustrated a machine having certain details of construction and certain arrangements of parts, I do not wish tot limited to this as it is obvious that" many minor details might be changed without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims. V g

; Iclaim:- I

1. Afieed grinder "including an outer" drum, the periphery of which has a dischargev opening, a. shaft entering one end of the drum and having thereon a plurality of substantially radial beater arms arranged in staggered relation, the opposite end ofthe periphery of the drum, and .means for: -ro- .100 ground material passes through the screen,

tating the shaft, the arms on the shaft having laterally projecting studs and an end wall of the drum being provided with inwardly projecting studs coacting with the studs on the arms, each of said arms at its outer end being provided with a shoe and having teeth facing in the direction of rotation.

2. A feed grinder including an outer drum, the periphery of which has a discharge opening, a shaft entering one end of the drum and having thereon a plurality of substantially radial arms arranged in staggered relation, the opposite end of the drum having a central feed opening, a screen concentric to the shaft and disposed outward of the ends of the arms and spaced from the periphery of the drum, and means for rotating the shaft,

the arms on the shaft having laterally projecting studs and an end wall of the drum being provided with inwardly projecting studs coacting with the studs on the arms, each of said arms at its outer end beingprovided with a shoe facing in the direction of rotation of the arms, the face of the shoe being formed with a plurality of teeth.

3. A feed grinder of the character described, including a drum having a discharge opening in its periphery, an end wall of the drum being formed with a central feed opening, an annular screen disposed within the drum and spaced from the periphery thereof, a rotatable grinder or beater mounted in the screen and having a plurality of radial arms arranged in staggered relation, the ends of said arms being formed with toothed shoes projecting laterally from the arms, the teeth I facing in the direction of rotation of the grinder, the grinder throwing the grain outward by centrifugal force against said shoes and toward the screen and the rotation of said arms acting to blow the grain out through the screen and through the discharge opening in the periphery of the drum.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aifix my signature.

HERMAN E. LUEBBERS. 

